Fancy a dip this Christmas?

Monday, 19 December 2016

If you fancy a dip in the sea at Christmas, you are either brave/daft or raising money for charity – after all who would want to leave the comfort of their over warm homes to jump into icy waters if it wasn’t for charity!?

Dig out your wetsuits (drysuits ?!) festive fancy dress and participate or watch from the sidelines.

Christmas Day

Macmillian White Christmas Dip – in it’s eight year with over 750 particpants last year Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth turns into a spectacle of fancy dress clad swimmers hopping gingerly into the water to raise money for the Macmillan Unit at Christchurch hospital. For more details and to register. Watch a very funny video here.

In Lowestoft, Suffolk then your local Christmas Day Swim is calling for all Local Heroes. Registration can be done from 9am at the Hotel Hatfield or online.

Join with the Weymouth & Portland Lions for a Harbour Swim for a charity of your choice. You need to pre-register online before December 23rd. This swim is suitable for children 7+ as well as adults. Click here for more info.

At 11am on Christmas morning, over 500 swimmers jump into the water without wetsuits at Crooklets Beach Bude, Cornwall. For more information, click here.

If you are in East Devon you could join in on the Exmouth Christmas Day swim. The annual event attracts thousands of people brave enough to take the plunge and go for a swim in the waters just off Exmouth beach. Click here to find out more.

Porthcawl in Wales is celebrating it’s 52nd year and you can join over 1000 other swimmers as they take the plunge. See their website for information.

If you are near Hunstanton in Norfolk you can have your costume judged before you hit the chilly waters. All money raised goes to Huntstanton Round table for local charities and causes. Click here to find out more.

Boxing Day

The Ventnor Boxing Day swim attracts over 1000 people into the water annually. Starting at noon funds are raised for local cancer support charity P.A.T.C.H. Click here to download a sponsorship form. (Keep your eyes peeled for Simone from Boatshed Thames a regular at the Ventnor swim!)

The Boxing Day Dip at Whitby takes places at 10am and you must pre-register to take part. Swimmers meet at 10am by the bandstand and slipway on Pier Road. The event is organized by Whitby Lions and those who take part have the opportunity to raise money solely for the Lions Organisation or to Raise 80% for their own charity of choice with the remaining 20% going to The Lions. All details can be found here.

In Tenby the Boxing Day swim is in it’s 45th year and sees swimmers raising money for either their own charity choices or one of the organisers. There are usually around 600 swimmers and thousand's of onlookers and everyone receives a medal for their bravery! Canoes and rafts have been seen in recent years. To find out more and pre-register click here.

If you are in North Nofolk then why not meet up at Cromer Pier in your trainers, they’llbe a run along the beach to Overstrand and back over the clifftops and then down to enjoy a dip at 11am. This year’s charity is RNLI (Cromer). For more info click here.

The Rotary Club of Redcar are asking you to register sooner than later for their annual boxing day dip and you can do so here. They'll be jumping in from 10.15 on boxing day, meeting at the Livery, Redcar. You can raise funds for your own chosen charity.

On Saturday, 26th December South Shields hold their annual Boxing Day Dip. It's a fundraiser for the local hospice which says: "It allows people who are as mad as a hatter (oops we mean brave and committed!) to dip into the sea for their favourite charity – us! While many are recovering from a day of over-indulgence, why don’t you shake off the Christmas cobwebs and be part of this brrr-illiant event. St. Clare’s Hospice wants to make this year’s Boxing Day Dip the biggest yet! The event is open to anyone aged 8 plus, so you can encourage your children to be just as ‘cool’’ as you" To register and find out more click here.

It's the 8th annual Boxing Day dip at Flamborough. Pirates gather at South Landing to launch this year's Flamborough Pre-School Boxing Day Dip. Organisers are hoping that this year's dip will create an even bigger splash of cash for the local Pre-school. Sponsorship forms available from the Ship Hotel, Flamborough or the Old Tuck Shop. For more info, click here.

You have to register online prior to the day to take part in the HARTLEPOOL Round Table Boxing Day Dip. Meet at the Staincliffe Hotel, The Cliff, Seaton Carew from 10am on boxing day. In it's 45th year, over 500 dippers assemble to raise funds for your own choice of charity.

If you are in Gibraltar then you have the choice of two Polar Bear Swims;

The first is organised by GASA in aid of Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and takes place from Eastern Beach at 12pm. For further information please contact: gibswimming@hotmail.com

The second is organised by Catalan Bay residents and you swim in Catalan Bay. Certificates, mince pies and hot toddies provided by Caleta Hotel, for further info contact Tel: +350 20076501 or email: sales@caletahotel.gi

New Years Day

For those of you in the Gosport and Fareham area, come and join the GAFIRS New Year's Day Swim at 12 noon. There are usually thousands of supporters and with each year the number of swimmers increase. Many swimmers use this opportunity to raise money for charities close to their hearts and GAFIRS welcomes everyone to raise money for their own charities. Again you must register which you can do online. (Keep your eyes open at this swim for Neil from Boatshed HQ - he regular joins this swim!)

If you are in South Queensferry near Edinburgh you may be interested in joining in The Stoats Loony Dook or the Firth of Forth swim. You don’t have to be a loony, mad or brave….but it helps. This annual dip in the freezing River Forth in the shadow of the Forth bridges has been taking place for 30 years. This event has already SOLD OUT - but you could go and watch?!? Click here to see where to stand.

The Saundersfoot New Year's Day swim saw 1587 swimmers take to the water on New Years Day 2016. Raising over £47,530 for charity. For more information click here.